This invention relates to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, and more particularly to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus accepting a cassette having a magnetic tape enclosed therein, called a general audio cassette or compact cassette.
Magnetic tape recording and reproducing apparatus generally includes a supply reel stand and a take-up reel stand which are engaged with or disengaged from reels mounted in the cassette, a normal direction capstan shaft and a rewinding direction capstan shaft for moving a magnetic tape at a fixed speed in a normal or rewinding direction respectively, and a magnetic tape head. An apparatus of this type having auto-reverse is used for car stereos, etc. Today, there is a need for a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus which is simplified in its construction and reliable in operation, while reduced to compact size.
Conventionally, in an apparatus of this kind, each reel stand and capstan shaft are driven by individual driving sources, and the switching of forward and reverse motions of the magnetic tape head is accomplished by a plunger, which causes the structure of a driving system to become complicated. If a slip mechanism using felt is adopted as turning force generating means for the reel stand, it has the disadvantage of lower reliability because the felt wears out. The above disadvantages impede the reduction in size and cost of the apparatus. To decrease the number of driving sources some cassettes have a driving source rotating in only one direction and power is transmitted from the driving source to the reel stands and capstan shafts by a mechanical transmission mechanism. In these one direction drive systems a complex structure is required for switching the direction of rotation of the reel stand and the resulting apparatus is not simple in structure and not compact in size. In view of such problems the present invention has been proposed.